Key carrier



Jan. 5, 1937.

w. D. GLADSTONE KEY CARRIER Filed Jan. 8, 1956 INVENTQI.

i ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 5, 1937 or arms t tan oFFIcE 2 Claims.

keys, thus preventing the accidental separation of the retaining means resulting in the accidental release of the keys and their consequent loss.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier in which the chain, or other retaining means, for the. keys can not beco'me accidentally separated from "the container.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier so constructed that the keys will hang in a predetermined position on the chain, or other retaining means, thus allowing the choosing of any particular key even in the dark.

Another object of myinvention is a key carrier of such construction that one of the keys will retain the other keys upon the chain, or other retaining means.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier of such construction that the keys may be removed therefrom by simply opening the carrier and reversing its position.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier in which a single key may be positioned outside of the carrier for use while the remaining keys are retained within the carrier thus preventing the abrasion of the unused keys while the device is in position for use.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier in which keys may be readily removed and additional keys added without opening the endless chain or other retaining means.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier in which the ends of the chain, or other retaining means, are not connected together by snaps, hooks or other devices which are liable to be accidentally disconnected and thus allow the escape of the keys carried thereby.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier in which the key carryingelement and the keys carried thereby can not be accidentally separated from the container portion of the device.

Another object of my invention is a key carrier of such construction that an additional container can be attached thereto without interfering with the operation of the key carrier.

The above mentioned and other novel and useful attributes of the device of my invention will be evident upon a consideration of my specification and its accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating modified forms of my invention, similar parts are designated by similar numerals.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the device of my invention in its closed key-containing condition.

Figure 2 is a view of the device of Figure 1 in open and reversed position, showing the position 1 of three keys as they fall into final position as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a broken side view of the device of Figure 2 with the keys in final position.

Figure 4 is a front view of the device of Figure 15 1 with one key removed for use while the remaining keys, indicated by dotted lines, are maintained within the device.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-section of a modified form of my device having an additional carrier attached thereto.

The key carrier of my invention comprises a key container and means for maintaining the keys movably and usably attached thereto.

In the particular form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, an expansible and collapsible key-housing receptacle, or pocket, may consist of leather or other more or less flexible material, while the keys are attached or anchored by means of a small chain or similar highly flexible suspending means.

The container or receptacle part has moderately thick and slightly stiff normally fiat front and rear walls l0 and II, which are somewhat elongated vertically and have rounded corners at their lower ends.

An expansible and collapsible accordion-folded or bellows-like thin, flexible strip It forms a bottom and side walls. This strip I 2 is continuouslysecured to the lower and side edges of the front and rear walls I0 and H, so as to fold inwardly between them, by any suitable means, shown as a front line of stitching l3 and a similar rear line of stitching M.

The lower closed end of the container carries an 45 eyelet l5, shown as passing through the margins of the rear wall II and strip l2, by means of which, if desired, the device may be attached to the free end of a usual key chain.

A tapered terminally rounded upper end 010- 50 sure flap I6 is formed in continuity with the rear wall I I as an extension thereof. This closure flap I6, when in closed position, is adapted to fold in a rounded turn or bend I! over the container body, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, or to be straightened 55 out, in an open position, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The end margin of the closure flap I6 carries the socket part I8 of a snap fastener, the stud part I 9 of which is carried by the front wall ID in position to be engaged with the socket part l'l.

Adjacent to its base portion, which forms the bend H, the flap l6 carries a pair of suitably spaced eyelets and 2|, which are desirably at the middle transversely and in vertical or longitudinal alignment as shown.

One of the ends or bights formed by a doubled relatively fine or small endless key chain 22, which could be a cable, is looped through the eyelets 20 and 2|. By passing this doubled end, from the inner side of the flap l6, first through the outer eyelet 2| and then through the inner eyelet 20, the double length or stretch of the endless chain 22 is free to extend smoothly downward from the bight of its loop, as shown in Figure 2, without forming an objectionable short bend or kink.

It is evident that the eyelets 20 and 21 can be positioned other than upon the flap l6, as, for instance in the back wall I l.

A terminal key 23 has the other bight or end of the doubled or folded endless chain 22 looped through a usual hole through its handle end portion. A desired number of other keys, shown as represented by the two keys 24 and 25, may be successively strung upon the doubled chain 22 before the latter is looped to the end key 23, or they may be added after the key 23 is attached by freeing the chain from the eyelets 20 and 2!, passing the keys on the chain 22, and then relooping the chain 22 through the eyelets 20 and 2|.

The chain loop at the latter key, which should be the one most frequently used, will cause this key to stand out or project at an angle from its nearest neighbor 24, while the rest of the keys, such as 24 and 25, will have a tendency to come into proximity to each other, when the bunch of keys hang in suspended position, or it will hang below the other keys, thus enabling the user to readily select the key 23.

The operation of the above described key carrier or holder of my invention is as follows:-

When the closed pocket or receptacle contains therein a substantially medium number of keys, such as the three keys 23, 24, 25, together with the greater portion of the key-carrying chain 22, it will be moderately distended or expanded fiatwise, as shown in Figure 1.

To obtain access to the keys the snap device l8, I9 is released and the device reversed, whereupon the keys will fall downwardly as shown in Figure 2, finally being positioned as shown in Figure 3.

With the keys suspended, as shown in Figure 3, any desired key may be easily and quickly selected merely by counting them successively beginning with the more prominent terminal key 23. It is evident that a key may be conveniently used while it is thus attached or anchored by the chain 22 to the open container flap I6, and the remaining keys 24 and 25 can be enclosed within the container portion as shown in Figure '4, while the key 23 is exposed for use.

The modified form of the device of my invention shown in Figure 5 consists of a key carrier of the character previously described to which is attached a somewhat similar shaped container for the reception of coins, cards or other similar articles.

This extra container has a rear wall 26 and a front wall 21 connected together along the sides and bottom portions by the strip 28 sewed thereto by the stitchings 29 and 30, the stitching 30 also attaching the rear wall 26 to the rear wall ll 01' the key carrier. This extra container has a clo sure flap, not shown, similar to the flap l6 of the key carrier.

It will thus be seen that this extra container can be employed without interfering with the operation of the key carrier.

The device of my invention is dimensioned, shaped and proportioned so as to enable it to be readily slipped into almost any pocket of a garment, or to be carried in a ladies hand bag, or purse.

Also, its construction is such as to enable it to have a decidedly attractive and artistic appearance, as is to some extent evident from the figures of the drawing.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the constructions shown in the drawing and above particularly described, within the principle and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I do not specifically limit myself as to materials, size, shape, proportions, arrangement, relationship, or inconsequential details, these being given simply as a means for clearly describing the device of my invention.

What I claim is:-

1. In a key carrier, in combination, a key container, and a permanently endless flexible keysuspending member folded in doubled form to have a fold bight at each end of a double stretch of said doubled flexible member, said double stretch passing through an aperture of said key container and then passing through one of said fold bights in noose form, said double stretch being adapted to pass through a hole in each of a plurality of successive keys and then to pass through the other said fold bight adjacent to the terminal one of said keys in noose form, whereby said key-suspending member is detachably attached to said key whereby a key carried by the free fold bight will be spaced from keys carried by said double fold carrier and to said keys.

2. In a key carrier in combination, a key container body, a closure fiap for said container body, and a permanently endless flexible keysuspending member folded in doubled form to have a fold bight at each end of a double stretch of said doubled flexible member, said double stretch passing through an aperture of said closure flap and then passing through one of said fold bights in noose form, said double stretch being adapted to pass through a hole in each of a plurality of successive keys and then pass through the other said fold bight adjacent to the terminal one of said keys in noose form, whereby said key-suspending member is detachably attached to said closure flap and to said keys and whereby a key carried by the free fold bight will be spaced from keys carried by said double fold.

W'ILLIAM D. GLADSTONE. 

